1. Field of the Invention
In general, the present invention relates to storage devices for retaining dough as the dough rises. More particularly, the present invention relates to devices that retain dough and provide a visual indication as to when the dough has risen to a predetermined volume.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are many different food items that are made from dough. As a result, there are many different types of dough recipes. However, most all dough recipes contain the common ingredients of flour, water and yeast. When yeast is added to a dough recipe, the dough begins to rise. If the dough is not allowed to rise for the proper amount of time, the dough may not bake properly and the resultant food may not be as palatable as desired. Similarly, if the dough is allowed to rise for too long, then the dough may become sticky and loose its elasticity. Again food products made from such dough may be unusable by a baker or not as palatable as desired.
Letting dough rise for the proper amount of time is an art learned by bakers. However, the time it takes dough to rise is dependent upon many variables such as temperature, humidity, dough ingredients and the strain of yeast used in the dough. Accordingly, even the most skilled of bakers may sometimes misjudge the rise time of dough and use the dough either prematurely or after it has peaked.
To help take the guess work out of proofing dough, many devices have been invented that enable the dough to rise in a controlled environment. In this manner, the dough is more likely to rise in the same period of time, batch after batch. Such prior art devices are exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 5,076,666 to Hullstrung, entitled Dough Proofing Chamber; U.S. Pat. No. 4,483,242 to Cote, entitled Apparatus For Rising Dough; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,518,949 to Stock, entitled Apparatus For Conditioning Dough And Baked Goods.
The prior art devices listed above provide environmentally controlled chambers in which dough is placed. Such prior art devices tend to be large and expensive, thereby making such devices impractical for many bakers. A good example of a place where such prior art proofing chambers are impractical is a pizzeria. In a pizzeria, the majority of the kitchen space is consumed by the large ovens used to cook the pizzas. As such, there is little room for a large dough proofing chamber for the pizza dough. Furthermore, in a pizzeria, dough is constantly being made and used throughout the day. Accordingly, it is not practical to proof large batches of dough at the same time in a proofing chamber. Rather, to ensure freshness, small batches of dough need to made at different times during the day.
A need therefore exists for a device and method that can be used to proof small batches of dough in a space efficient and cost efficient manner. A need also exists for a dough proofing device that provides a person with a visual indication as to when a specific batch of dough has risen for the proper period of time. These needs are met by the present invention as described and claimed below.